On the Beach

On the Beach, American dramatic film, released in 1959, that was set in the aftermath of an imagined World War III. It was based on the apocalyptic novel of the same name by Nevil Shute.

The fatal fallout of nuclear war in the year 1964 serves as the fictional backdrop for romance between a navy captain (played by Gregory Peck) and a cynical Australian party girl (Ava Gardner). Peck’s character is head of a U.S. submarine crew who have retreated to Australia, the only part of the world that has not yet been decimated by slow-moving radioactive winds. The captain’s ... (100 of 285 words)